A Farewell To Arms Catherine's Relationship Essay

Ernest Hemingway’s novel, A Farewell to Arms, positions Catherine’s situation as a means to draw parallels to the advancing front of the war. Hemingway escalates the relationship between the two protagonists of the novel, Catherine and Frederic Henry. Taking place during the time of World War I, the novel shadows Henry, an Italian soldier, and his journey to appease Catherine, a British nurse, who eventually transforms into the “spouse” he so desires. Desperate to preserve this relationship, as with any human being, without the gift of companionship, Tenente can easily wither away into his own thoughts, unaware of the tragedies in deterioration. Hemingway contrasts Catherine’s ill-fated situation with the ongoing war through the perplexing
Her pregnancy leaves her in a vulnerable state, much like the soldiers fleeing from the shelling. Frightened from the unexpected arrival of her baby, she seeks Henry’s comfort, despite the lack of his appearance due to the war demands. Henry refers to himself as agnostic, regarding God futile. The impending death of Catherine obliges him to bargain with God in order to save his beloved. Miss Barkley’s struggles force the nurses to administer gas in order to aid her breathing. With Catherine placing the mask on, Hemingway alludes to the strain the soldiers must endure while trying to save their lives from the poisonous mustard gas. After envisioning Catherine’s future, Henry proposes the idea of her death, but dismisses the thought immediately. He disregards the pain of labor, stating that it is only a child. “This was the end of the trap. This was what people got for loving each other. Thank God for gas, anyway. What must it have been like before there were anesthetics” (Ch.XLI 274). Before the doctor enters the situation, Henry contemplates about the horrendous situation, reassuring himself that Catherine will cheat death. Henry’s anxiety about her parallels the anxiety experienced during war. The pandemonium causes hundreds of soldiers to survey the situation, looking every direction trying to escape their inevitable death. Catherine’s condition mirrors the conditions of those at war, in which they share similar